New Hanover Regional Medical Center was recognized recently by two national agencies for the quality and safety of its patient care.

NHRMC was named a 2013 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care, the medical center's news release stated, adding that it also earned an ‘A’ grade in the fall 2014 update to the Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections. 

The Joint Commission, according to the release, is the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States. Its Top Performer on Key Quality Measures program "recognizes hospitals for improving performance on evidence-based interventions that increase the chances of healthy outcomes for patients with certain conditions."

The Hospital Safety Score is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group, an independent industry watchdog, the release stated. The Leapfrog Score, which the release stated is "the first and only hospital safety rating to be analyzed in the peer-reviewed Journal of Patient Safety," is designed "to give members of the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families."

“I am proud of our physicians and staff for their constant focus on excellent patient care,” Jack Barto, NHRMC's president and chief executive officer, said in the release. “As is our culture at NHRMC, we focus every day on continuous quality improvement. In this rapidly changing environment it is important to monitor our services and find ways to provide the high-quality, compassionate care our patients expect and deserve.”